A Mixed Bag: My Honest Review of World Class Fitness Club
Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by my review!
I'm excited to share my experience with the World Class fitness club. I know it's a chain, so I'll be making general observations. If you're looking for more in-depth feedback on individual locations, I've left reviews on Yandex Maps or 2GIS.
I joined World Class for a reason. I'm a bit of a scattered person, and after giving up dancing, I needed something to keep me active. With my office job being sedentary, I knew I needed some physical activity. World Class just happened to be nearby, and it's literally five minutes from my house.
I chose World Class because of its convenience. If I bought a membership at another gym that's farther away, I'd just end up being too lazy to go after work or on the weekends, especially with rush hour traffic. I'm glad I made the decision to spend those extra five minutes on the commute. It's perfect for days when I've got some free time on the weekends or holidays.
On their website, you can take a survey to choose what you need: pool, gym, group classes, and they'll supposedly recommend the best option for you. But honestly, it's just a marketing ploy. The adult and physical person cards are the same for everyone: day pass (access to all zones, but only until 5:30 PM and only on weekdays), premium (access to all zones and any time the club is open), family (valid for two or more cards, same as premium). There are also corporate and kids' cards, but I wasn't really interested in those.
After the survey, a manager calls you to schedule a meeting, shows you around the club, introduces you to everything that interests you, and then offers you a contract. If you agree, you can sign it right there on the spot.
We had everything I think: cardio area, functional training hall (I still haven't been in there out of curiosity), gym, three group fitness studios, cycling room, cardio cinema (my favorite), climbing wall, team sports hall, squash court, martial arts hall, pool, separate saunas and hammams in the men's and women's locker rooms, shower rooms and locker rooms, kids' sports club, and mini café zone.
I spent most of my time in the gym and cardio cinema or the cardio area. The gym has everything you need – fitballs, half-spheres, dumbbells, weights, fitness mats, rugs, cubes, weights, dumbbells, and pretty much everything you can think of. All the equipment is in great shape, and some of it was even replaced during my membership period.
I'll be upfront – it's pricey! I paid around $1,400 for 12 months, plus I got two extra months for free as part of a New Year's promotion. You can take out a credit or pay the full amount upfront. I took out a credit and then paid it off early. You can apply for credit right there – the sales team will help you with the process.
Since I work full-time, the daytime membership was way too expensive for me, so I had to go with the premium membership. It came with three free guest visits (you can bring a friend in for free three times or three different friends), one fitness assessment, two free trainer sessions, and a freezing period (I'm not sure how long it was, but I think it was around a month).
I tried to go to the gym three times a week, but sometimes I'd slack off and go only once or twice. If I managed to go three times a week, my routine would be: one visit – group class (yoga, stretching, Pilates), two visits – weightlifting + group class, three visits – weightlifting + cardio. If I didn't have the energy or felt lazy, I'd just head to the cardio cinema and run on the treadmill or cycle until I got bored. Sometimes I'd go cycling.
I went to the pool only a few times, to be honest. It's there, but it's small, with just three lanes, and one of them is always taken up by private classes.
First off, I fell in love with the hammam. I'd go to classes just for that. After every workout, I'd sit in the hammam for 20 minutes, and it was pure bliss – can't even describe it. Plus, it's right next to the women's locker room, just like the sauna. I've heard some gyms have shared saunas or hammams that you have to go into in a swimsuit. Here, it's just you and the girls who want to – you can sit in a towel, or go au naturel. It's a great perk, because I wouldn't want to remember to bring a swimsuit for the sauna or hammam, or I'd forget and be bummed.
The trainer. I took classes with a trainer, had two free ones, and the rest were extra, and the girl I worked with was an amazing trainer. She put together a program for me and even corrected my technique. If classes with a trainer weren't so pricey, I'd take them all the time.
The cardio theater. It's really cool to watch movies and walk on the treadmill. I came in and 'The Fifth Element' was playing. I would've stayed and watched the whole thing if it weren't so late and I had to get up early the next day.
The staff is super friendly and polite. Everything is top-notch.
They give you towels! That was a game-changer for me. No need to carry extra stuff. When you come in, they give you two towels – a big one and a small one – and you can take the small one with you to class.
There's a small coffee area where you can grab a cocktail or a healthy snack after a workout.
The towel dryer is also amazing – just throw in your swimsuit and it's dry in 8 seconds.
In the locker room, they had some extra goodies like plastic bags for wet clothes (convenient if you forget yours), cotton pads, cotton swabs (great for removing makeup on the spot!), and hair dryers.
To be honest, there wasn't much I didn't like, but still.
I've gotta say, the cardio theater rarely showed any good movies. I get that it's a matter of personal taste, but still, I went there often and only caught three decent films in a year: Harry Potter, The Hobbit, and The Fifth Element. Most of the time, I'd get some Russian drivel or sports movies. Sorry, but I was just fine with my life, and then I saw The Ice 2. As someone from Irkutsk, I was surprised by this movie in many ways, but I guess that's just me. I get that it might be hard to get those new movies, but why not show some classics and recognized masterpieces? I mean, you come here to get some spiritual enrichment and get a workout – that's just perfect! Of course, that's just my beef.
The price of personal training sessions was way too steep. 7,500 rubles for five sessions is crazy. That's 7,500 rubles a month. My credit card payment was around 6,500 rubles a month, and then I'd have to shell out 7,500 for the trainer – it just wasn't feasible. I get that the membership fee would be pretty high given all the perks, but 7,500 rubles for the training sessions was just too much.
The pool. The main reason I didn't go to the pool was that I saw people just walking in, putting on their swimsuits, and getting in without showering. I mean, they'd come in with all sorts of products on their skin – creams, perfumes, and whatnot. I don't want to offend anyone, but I'm just not comfortable with that. I'd like it if the club had some kind of control over this. I get that it's a personal responsibility, but it's in the club's interest to keep the pool water as clean as possible. Not everyone is aware of this, and some people might need a little nudge – maybe some rules like 'no shower, no pool'.
Okay, so I almost loved everything about this place, but I'm not going back to the gym. It's just not worth it for me. My monthly payment was around 6,500 rubles, and for that price, you get access to everything. But, to be honest, the average person can't take full advantage of it due to various reasons. I'm not into martial arts, and group sports aren't really my thing either. Rock climbing is okay, I might've tried it, but it costs extra. So, you pay for the entire club, but you only use a small part of it.
If you're not a hardcore sports fan, and it's not something you can afford, then I'm not seeing the point. For me, I could've just gone to the water sports complex for 2,200 rubles a month and been happy. I can also do yoga at home with videos or pay 400 rubles for a single class near my place.
I knew from the start that this wouldn't be the best value for money, but I wanted to try it out. Now that I've tried it, I know I won't be going back.
What's more, after a year of visiting the gym, I realized that sports aren't really my thing. I mean, strength training isn't for me, but I do enjoy yoga, swimming, walking, and running. So, I don't really see the point in going to the gym anymore. It's summer now, and I just walk 10,000 steps a day and go for a 3-mile run three times a week around my neighborhood. It's basically free, and I enjoy it.
So, choose what you like and what fits your budget. I've made my choice, and I'm sharing my experience with you